With that, Piper and Lucy took Jenna’s hand and pulled her over to join in their Candyland game.
There were three more knocks at the door that day, everyone saying the same thing. The roads were too bad to continue and they were desperate for a place to stay. Henry and Melissa, a sweet older couple, were first. Next was a spunky, cute college-aged girl named Ashley, who I thought I could get along with the next couple days, and last came a set of middle-aged sisters named Pat and Sue who were on their way to an antique show in Wisconsin.
Mom was thrilled as she went into full-on hostess mode. She was in her glory when the inn was full. She lived for it. The house was full of chatter all afternoon; people comparing their encounters of stuck cars and flooded roads. It was late afternoon and I was just taking a huge batch of my fabulous chili off the stove for dinner, when I heard another knock at the door. Mom was out on the back deck grabbing more wood for the fire. With the noise level in the house, I wasn’t surprised Fred didn’t hear it, so I wiped my hands on my shirt and headed up front.
I opened the door and my breath caught—I wasn’t sure if it was because of the ear-shattering thunderclap that came into the house with the swing of the door, or the man standing on the porch. The tall, wet figure stood in a black North Face hoodie and a baseball cap. His hands were shoved in his jean pockets. The wind was whipping around him and his cheeks were bright red, but he looked up at me from under long, thick lashes and smiled a big sexy smile. I swear the corners of his perfect teeth sparkled, like they do in the movies.
I stepped back, motioning for him to come in. Once he was in the door, my mouth went dry. He was big, much bigger than he looked when he was on the porch. I guessed he was almost a foot taller than my short five foot, two-inch stature. He pulled his hat off, revealing dark chocolate brown hair that was a wet mess of short, loose curls. He smiled that movie star smile again. This time I noticed the two big dimples on either side of his mouth.
My heart was pounding so loud, I was sure it was about to jump out of my chest and land on the foyer floor at his feet.
“Whew! It’s brutal out there.” He shook the excess water off his jacket and ran his hands back and forth through his hair, messing it up in the most adorable way.
“Hi, I’m Brody Murphy.” He extended his hand for me to shake.
“Hi, I’m…” My mind went blank. When I paused, he raised a curious eyebrow and smirked at me. Holy crap, I was going to pass out.
Pull yourself together, Kacie.
“Kacie. Kacie Jensen.”
The minute his giant hand enveloped mine, I felt my entire body wake from hibernation. His warm, strong hand acted as an accelerant that set all the cells and nerves in my entire body on fire. I felt like an idiot when I realized that we were done shaking hands, but I hadn’t bothered to pull mine away yet. Quickly, I snatched it back and wrapped my arms around myself, instinctively.
“I took a wrong turn and thought I was on a road. Hard to see it was a driveway. Anyway, my truck is stuck in the mud out there. Any chance I could grab a room for the night?”
My shoulders sank, along with my heart.
“Uh-oh.” He read the disappointment on my face. “Do you not have any rooms available?”
“No, they’re all taken,” I answered in a quiet, almost inaudible tone.
“Oh.” He took a deep breath and forced it back out. “No biggie, I’ll figure out a way to get my truck out and keep going. I’m sure there’s something up the road a little more.”
“Stay right here.” I turned to go find my mom, but she was already coming around the corner from the kitchen.
“Hi there!” my mom said in her typically warm, welcoming tone.
“Hi, I’m Brody Murphy.” He offered his hand again.
“Hi Brody, I’m Sophia Jensen.”
“You have a really nice place here,” he said, flashing his gorgeous smile at my mom.
If there was a direct line to my mother’s heart, it was complimenting her inn. This place was her other baby.
“I was actually just coming to get you. I know we’re full, but it’s awful out there. We can’t send him back out in this weather, Mom,” I blurted out, sounding more desperate than I meant to.
“Of course not, dear.” She smiled curiously at me, before turning her attention back to Brody.
“I don’t have any rooms available, Brody, but I do have a pretty comfortable couch in the family room. It’s not private at all, but it’s much warmer than your vehicle. We would love to have you stay with us.”
“Uh, one problem. I have a dog too. He’s super friendly and completely housebroken, but he’d probably be pretty mad at me if I told him he had to sleep in the truck. Any chance he could sleep on the floor in a laundry room maybe?”
“Absolutely not!” Mom said. “No laundry room for him, he can curl up by the fire.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out.”